‘White Collar’ season 5, episode 4 preview: What happens after the shocking death?

No matter how you slice it, there is little questioning that Thursday’s “White Collar” episode was a surprising one. Just when you were starting to get used to having Siegel around as a part of the show, then you see him gone, and with Neal left to deal with much of the ramifications of that. He has lost what was pretty imperative to the Hagen story, but something else that you also have to wonder when it comes to this is if this death is going to lead to the show restoring its status quo sooner rather than later.

After all, let’s be honest here: Don’t you really want to see Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay work as partners again? This little experiment has been fun, but Peter and Neal are the core of the show, and they also happen to be the reason why so many watch. Without that, you’re looking at a product that just doesn’t quite feel the same.

With us staring at a very different dynamic now for the characters the rest of the way, you have to wonder just what is going to come next. The promo unfortunately does not reveal much save for Neal having to try and defend himself in the wake of what happened, but the synopsis attached to it may be a little bit more help:

“Peter sends Neal undercover with a psychiatrist who may be manipulating her patients into committing robberies.”

That, if nothing else, is proof that Neal is still going to be out in the field doing a little bit of what he does best, and that there is still some sort of procedural element that could still be in place here. But what this show does so effectively, even in comparison to some other ones airing on USA, is giving you both a standalone story and one that has some longer implications at the same time.

Is there anything that you want to see on “White Collar” next week? As always, sound off with some of your thoughts in the comment box below! Meanwhile, click here if you do want to read some more of what Bridget Regan had to say about joining the show as Neal’s love interest.

Photo: USA